Rose's Turn
by MourningRose -2
Summary: The sequel to "Tales From the Pensive". Rose Lupin and her children have entered Harry's life for the first time.
1. Kat

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated in the living room of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Each had their mind full of the events of the past few hours; discovering Sirius's pensive, learning of the existence of Rose, Remus Lupin's twin sister, Sirius's ex-wife, and Snape's widow. And each were intrigued by Molly Weasley's strange reaction to their knowledge of Rose's existence. The mood was dark and somber. Harry looked at his friends. "How long has it been?"

"Since what?" asked Ron

"Since your mum went to get her."

"I dunno. An hour, maybe?"

"Oh." Each returned to his or her private thoughts. Just then, George entered the room.

"Have you seen mum? It's almost dinnertime."

Hermione answered. "She went to go find Rose."

"Who?"

Each of the three took a part in the story, telling of the girl who was Remus Lupin's twin, Lily Evans's best friend, and Sirius Black and James Potter's fellow mischief maker. They explained her odd, seasonal friendship with Snape, and her love for Sirius that blossomed into a marriage, and that marriage producing a daughter. They told him about how she was Harry's godmother, and how she found him after his parents were killed, and how Sirius gave her divorce papers so she would not be hurt by his retaliation against Pettegrew. Finally, they explained that she had married Snape out of necessity, and that Harry felt the need to ask her so many things. George sat heavily onto the couch next to his younger brother.

"Well."

But before he could elaborate, a "pop" sounded. A young woman appeared. She was almost painfully beautiful, with the same large blue eyes of Rose, and long, sleek, jet-black hair. She stood about 5'6 and had a small, wicked smile gracing her perfect features. She was most decidedly Sirius's daughter, as well, and the image was finished off with her mischievous smirk and flawless features. Hary realized with a shock that this house should have been hers, and shrank behind George with a deep feeling of guilt. George was clearly without those feelings that Harry possessed, however. He pulled Harry in the girl's direction, standing in greeting.

"Uh, hi" he began

"Hello" she answered, almost coldly. She raised one eyebrow, and Harry was once again struck by her resemblance to her father.

"We're so sorry about your step-father" said George in a low, slow voice

She allowed herself a flicker of a smile that was every inch the young Snape Harry had seen in the pensive, and said, with a slight incline of her head "And I about your brother, Mr. Weasley"

"Please. Mr. Weasley is my father. Call me George, One-Ear George, or Saint George, whichever you prefer. And you are?"

"Why Saint- oh. Holy. Your ear is missing. Clever." Harry could almost hear Fred's groans. She laughed jokingly shaking George's hand. "Well, One-Ear George, I'm Katerina Black, but no one calls me that other than my mother, and then only when she is mad. Just Kat will do nicely"

"Well, Just Kat, I'll see you around?"

She once again smiled her Snape smile and answered "We'll see about that" But before George could continue this strange flirtation, another pop sounded. And there beofre them stood a frazzled Molly Weasley, and Rose.


	2. Questions and Defense

The silence pratically reverberated. Rose scanned the room, eyes alighting on Harry. She took a step forward. "Harry." she said softly "I haven't seen you since... well, for a long time."

Harry smiled in greeting "Hello Mrs. Snape."

She smiled slightly "Just Rose, please. Anyways, I'm reverting back to Ms. Lupin."

"Oh."

Rose scanned the room, searching for something to say. Finally, she noticed her daughter. "Katerina Rosella Black, what are you doing here?"

Kat smiled impishly, and Harry could finally see her resemblance to Sirius. "Well, right now I'm standing, although a moment ago I was introducing myself to a most fascinating young wizard." she said, indicating George, who, to Harry and the rest of the room's shock, blushed.

She actually laughed at that. Then she realized something. "Katerina. What were you thinking, apperating here? You left your siblings home alone!"

She grinned, exactly as Sirius used to "Actually, as you left after me, you left them home alone"

Her mother looked furious. Kat grinned again "Mum, we're all safe and sound, and I'm not missing my nose, so introduce me to these nice, red headed people. Well, at least most of them are red headed."

George laughed a thing he had not done since Fred's death. Rose shot him a look." That isn't the point! You-"

"Are ever so clever for tnot splinching? Why, thank you, mom! How very kind. But, seriously, mum, I understand that you're mad, but now alls well that ends well, right?"

Her mother smiled grimly "You sound like your father." Her smile flickered for a moment, remembering, and she turned to the rest of the room. "May I introduce my irrepressible daughter, Kat. She's a year older than you, Harry."

Harry barely gave the girl a look. He could not help himself; he was glaring at Rose. She gave him a deep, piercing look. "How about you and I talk in private, Harry"

"That would be wonderful, Mrs. Snape."

"It's Lupin. I've decided to go by neither Black nor Snape. It'd be too complicated."

Harry followed her into the next room. Then he turned on her. "How could you leave me? You're my godmother!"

"Yes. But there was the blood bond to keep you safe. Dumbledore offered, but I couldn't. I was trying to accept that Sirius had just left me, and Kat was troubling me again. Again, I do wish so… Dumbledore offered me the same chance again, on your 11th birthday… but at that point it was out of the question… with you looking so much like your father, but having your mother's eyes… and again the blood bond to keep you safe... it was a difficult time for all of us. Dumbledore understood, though… Dumbledore offered it to us again, when Sirius escaped, offering me a hidden home and a new identity, but I could not leave. You see, the twins had just been born, and we were having a hard enough time. We simply could not take on an extra responsibility. In fact, we had just sent Kat off to live with her aunt and uncle, but raising even a family of six as opposed to five on a teaching salary was simply impossible. It will be a great relief when we send the twins off to Hogwarts. And as for little Teddy, I quite simply do not know what to do. He is my responsibility, unless you choose to take him. It seems I am the final marauder, and you, Kat, little Sev, Sandra, Toby, and Teddy are the last marauder's descendants. It's quite sad, truly. We all had such large plans… I expected to be wed to Sirius for the rest of my life; James and Lily thought the same. Poor Pete was planning to propose to Kate, and Remus… Remus and I were attempting to find a cure for his… problem." Here she irritably wiped her eyes

Harry stared at her, speechless. Finally he spoke. "Why did I never know you existed?"

"I told my husband and brother never to mention me to you. Remus did a good job, as he rarely spoke to me after my marriage, and I have a feeling you and Severus never had a heart to heart."

Harry looked away. "That's an understatement. But why?"

"It would complicate things. I tend to make things worse for people."

"I see. You were part of the Order?"

"Yes."

"How much did you know, about what Sna- your husband was doing?"

"Very little, actually. We thought it was safer that way."

"One more question. What are you going to do now?"

"Actually, I already have an answer for that. I am the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."


	3. Her Hatred

Harry stared at her for a moment. Then, without speaking, he turned and left the room, rejoining Kat, George, Ron, Hermione, and now Ginny. Kat was leaning back, Sirius style, as George and Ron argued as always. Hermione and Ginny were attempting to engage Kat in conversation. A thought struck Harry, and he sat with them.

"Hey, Kat."

She nodded in greeting. He took this as encouragement, and continued "Your mum says you spent some time with your aunt and uncle. I don't want to be rude, but who were they?"

She looked him in the eyes "Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. My cousin Draco is one of my best friends. Only good thing my birth father ever did for me."

Her bitterness towards Sirius struck Harry to the core. "I knew him, and he wasn't as bad as you're making him out to be."

She turned to him, eyes blazing with fury. "Easy for you to say! You didn't have to go through years of not knowing, and then finding out he was a criminal! That the father you loved and worshiped more than anything else in the world wasn't even your father! You didn't have to deal with the thought that he loved some boy that wasn't even his own kid more than he loved you!"

Harry shushed her, shaking a bit. She grabbed him, and whisked him off to the next room. He realized with a shock that in her fury she possessed more than the Black looks- she looked frighteningly similar to a young Bellatrix Lestrange. Even though he towered above her, he still found her slightly scary. "I'm sorry.... I didn't know."

She slumped, defeated. "I never even knew him."

"I never knew my parents either" Harry answered, a slight titch of irritability appearing.

"Yes, but at least you knew they loved you. My father could've come to visit me, but he _chose_ not to. It's different."

Harry changed the subject. "I know Mal-Draco from school."

"I know. He says you're a git."

"Oh."

Silence pervaded the room. Finally, Harry spoke again. "You don't like me very much."

"Good observation."

"Why? Our parents were friends."

"Our mothers were friends, and my birth father and your father were friends. My **real **father, on the other hand, was in love with your mother, and hated your father. And as I have no intention of ever being in love with you- and as the lovely redhead back in there would not find that amusing- I have decided to hate you. I have reason enough."

Realization dawned. "Wait- you don't blame _me_..."

She interrupted him, arms crossed in front of her "Yes, yes I do."

Before Harry could respond, shouting came from the room they had left. They both ran in, to see Mrs. Weasley shouting, and Rose pleading. "Kat claims she can take care of herself, but I still have Sev, Sandra, Toby and now Teddy. Molly, I am begging you. Please take them. I can't care for even my own, as well as Teddy. The twins behave... um… _most_ of the time, and although Toby is still only two, he actually behaves better then my older ones. And Teddy is a little darling, he and Sev are so similar, they could be brothers, but I cannot take care of them. Please Molly, I…"

"This is because of Toby isn't it" said Molly furiously

"I don't understand…"

"I think you do, Rose. I've seen the boy. The fact that he looks so much like his father is no reason for you to shut him out. And as for Sev and Teddy, I simply cannot believe you. How long has it been since you spoke to your brother? I think…"

Rose drew in a deep breath "Leave my brother out of this"

"I think" continued Molly, not even listening to Rose's comment "I think you want to push your children away because of their resemblance to those who you've lost. And this, Rose, is simply shameful. I know why you barely have had any association with Kat. Just because she is Sirius's daughter means nothing. She's your daughter too."

"This isn't the reason. Severus left me nothing, Molly. I have nothing, no money, to raise them on. Neither Severus, Sirius, nor even Remus left me a knut. All I ever received from Severus was the home I live in now. My parents left me nothing, and my siblings everything. As for Remus… his estate was, of course, left to his son and to Harry."

Kat shot another glare at Harry, but then the full weight of her mother's words sunk in. "Wait... are you trying to _get rid_ of us?!"

"No, Kat, of course not. I'm going to be teaching at Hogwarts next year, and cannot take you all along."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Mother, I'm nineteen. I can take care of myself. By the time you were my age, you had me."

"It's different."

Kat glared "I don't see how." With that, she popped out of sight. Rose sank back down on the couch. George's eyes widened, and he apperated after Kat. No one followed him.


	4. Seventh

Kat wandered the sidewalk in front of the building that housed the small flat her family lived in, knowing she had to enter but also needing a moment to herself. She sat on the steps in front of the tall urban building, head in her hands. A pop sounded, and George Weasley appeared.

"Hey."

She smiled slightly. "Hey"

He sat down next to her. "What was all of that about?"

"Which one, our mums, or me and Harry?"

"Harry. I know he's not as devastatingly handsome as I am, but that's no reason to hate him."

"You heard all that?"

"There might be a slight chance that I did..."

"Oh." They sat in silence for a moment. Finally she spoke. "I don't hate him. I just... I'm not a fan."

George smiled "Neither was your step-father."

She laughed "He wasn't a fan of you either"

"Are you?"

She laughed. It surprised George- her laugh was bubbling and musical, not at all like the grim personality she presented. "I don't know you well enough to have an opinion. Do you want to come inside?"

George nodded, and followed her up a staircase into the building. At the door of a flat on the third floor, she produced a key, and entered the small entry hall. A boy, about nine years old, walked in. George did a double-take. He was small and skinny, pale, with blue eyes and shaggy black hair. Even without the hooked nose, he was the picture of Severus Snape, if Snape had had a happy childhood. The child tilted his head to the side. "Who's this?"

Kat smiled "George, this is my brother Nate. Nate, this is George Weasley." Nate grinned.

"Hey. Oh, Kat, the twins are doing something. They locked themselves in their room again."

Kat went pale. "I'll be right back."

George found himself standing awkwardly in the room. The boy gave him a curious look. "Don't you own Weasley's Wizard Wheezies?"

George grinned "Why yes. Yes I do."

Nate's face broke into a massive smile "I spend every bit of my allowance there! It's my favorite shop ever!"

But before they could continue the conversation, Kat marched out of the back, two small children by the hand. They were only about four or five, with equally mischievous smiles, and unlike their older brother, they looked nothing like Snape. If anything, they resembled a young Rose and Remus to a tee. Kat was fighting back a smile "Sorry about that, George."

"It's no problem." But at the sight of the twins, something went tight in George's chest, and a burning began in his eyes. He blinked "Kat, where's the bathroom?"

She pointed down the hall, and he entered, splashing his face with water. No matter what he would admit, the sight of the almost-identical boy and girl with their mischievous smiles brought far too much pain back. He missed his brother. He put his face down for a moment, then wiped it off with a towel. When he left the bathroom, only Kat stood there. "I brought the little ones to my Mum."

"Oh."

She looked curiously at him. "Were you crying?"

"Of course not."

She raised an eyebrow. He grinned "My eyes were sweating, that's all."

"You're like me. You've lost the person you cared most about."

George searched her face. "I never thought someone would care about Snape that much."

"He was the most wonderful father. He wasn't around very much, but he always understood. He was a little tense at times, and moody, but he always took the time to listen. He cared."

George searched her face. He had never known Snape very well, and from this girl's description he had been an okay guy. "That sounds like my dad. We don't always get along, and he always worked, but he always had time for us."

She nodded. "Sometimes we didn't seem my father for weeks, months on end. He used to apparate home during the school year, or at least visit us by fire. He taught me how to fly, and apparate, and make potions. I just... can't believe he's gone."

"My dad almost died, you know. Two years ago. You-Know-Who sent his snake after him. He would've died if it hadn't been for Harry."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Harry Potter. That's all I hear about."

George tactfully changed the subject. "So, you want to go back?"

She snorted. "To that? Either Potter or my mum'll be yelling at me."

George grinned. She turned to him "You know what my mum told me?"

"What?"

"They're going to let everyone who didn't get to finish Hogwarts take classes this year to graduate. You never finished, did you?"

"Nope, me and my brother left our seventh year."

She smiled "I heard about that. Anyways, why don't you go back? I'm going to do my seventh year, and you already know your way around. It'll be fun."

George couldn't help smiling "You're going to Hogwarts? Even though Harry's going to have to get his diploma too?"

She shrugged "Well, some things just have to be borne."

"You know, my mum's going to be thrilled."

"And my mum'll teach us."

He offered her his arm, and she jokingly took it. "Let's go tell them."

And with that, they popped out of existence, and back into the Burrow.


	5. The Impossible Miss Snape

Two months later the six teenagers (Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, George and Kat) boarded the train without incident. Predictably Mrs. Weasley had been overjoyed at George's announcement that he was to return to Hogwarts. As they sat down in a compartment, Kat's attention was drawn outside the compartment, where Draco Malfoy skulked down the hall, looking strangely lonely without Crabbe and Goyle. She jumped up.

"Draco!"

He turned, surprised. At the sight of his cousin, he smiled. "Hey!"

She opened the door, a huge smile splitting her face, and gave him a massive hug. The five she left in the compartment exchanged surprised glances at Kat's sudden enthusiasm. Malfoy pushed her off of him, grinning. "What are you doing here?"

"Mum finally let up." Her brow furrowed "How are you?"

He shrugged awkwardly, too aware of the stares he was getting from the rest of the compartment. "I'm okay. You?"

She smiled ironically "Surviving."

An awkward silence pervaded the room. Malfoy looked around "I'd better go. I... have stuff to do."

As he left, Kat turned to all of them "What was that about?"

Harry answered "What do you mean?"

"The way you guys were acting."

"The way _we _were acting? What about you? Malfoy's a Slytheren!"

"So was my dad."

Harry pointedly looked out the window. Ginny broke the silence. In the days Kat had spent with them, she, Ginny and Hermione had begun to develop something resembling friendship, although with Kat you could never know. "Speaking of Houses, what do you want to get into? They're going to have to sort you."

Kat shrugged "I dunno. Maybe Gryffindor, maybe Slytheren. I don't really care."

George grinned "So in other words, you're going to be a Hufflepuff."

"I never said that!"

"But you _meant_ it"

"No I didn't!"

"If you don't care, you'll end up there!" He grinned "Hey, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!"

Everyone present groaned. Kat smirked michevously "George, you and I both know that that rhyme is a crime."

He smiled back "You're so punny."

She settled back into her seat "I guess I'd better end up a Slytheren. How would I survive seeing you every day?"

George nodded gravely. "You're quite right. How would you survive? I know my perfection is quite blinding."

She laughed "Of course, there is always the off chance I could end up in Gryffindor."

That'd be great. How could you live without my brilliance gracing your life?"

She laughed. Ron's eyebrows were raised almost to his hairline; since Fred's death, George had barely smiled, let alone joked around with anyone. As they left to change into their uniforms, he reflected that maybe some good could come out of the impossible Miss Snape.


	6. Mistrust

As soon as the train stopped, Kat withdrew into herself. Her lips were pursed, and she was pale. In anyone else, Harry would call this nerves, but in Kat it was standoffishness. He could not stand the girl. She was arrogant, rude, and self centered. In other words, exactly like the man she had called father. Although a slight bit of guilt lingered from his foray into Snape's memory, and from the knowledge he had gained there, the loathing he had always felt for his former Potions master still remained. His impression of Kat was only concreted as she glided into the boat, nose in the air, walking like a queen to her execution. Harry rolled his eyes. Ginny grabbed his arm.

"Do you see George?"

Harry nodded. The boy had been completely under Kat's spell since the moment he had laid eyes on her.

"I think he likes her!"

"Yea, I noticed"

She looked at him crossly "Why are you being so weird about this? It's almost like you don't want George to be happy!"

"It's not that I don't want him to be happy… it's that I don't want him to be happy with her."

"Why?"

"Look at her. Who does she remind you of?"

Ginny squinted at the other girl, gliding, nose held high, lifting her robes delicately to avoid dragging them in the mud. Her every movement oozed haughtiness. As she turned her head to look back, Ginny inhaled sharply. "Bellatrix," she breathed.

Harry nodded grimly. Although the girl had some features of her mother, most of her looks had come from her father's family. Her eyes, though blue, were heavily lidded, her cheekbones were high, her jaw was heavy, her hair was long, thick, and jet black, and she herself was as pale as a corpse. In the shadows, she could be Bellatrix's twin, but for the height. Harry's jaw clenched and his fists balled up as he entered the carriage. Hermione sat down across from him, looking at him curiously.

"What's wrong?"

He shook the feeling off "Nothing, nothing."

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh really?" she glanced over at the older girl, as the boats glided away "Hating her for her stepfather is the same thing Snape did to you. We have no control over our parents. Sirius proved that."

"Yes, but we do have control over where our loyalties lie."

"How do you know about hers so soon?"

Harry glared at her. "She looks like Bellatrix!"

"You look like your father. But you act like your mother. She looks like Bellatrix, but acts like Rose."

"How do you know anything about her?"

"I know less than you. But I of all people should know not to hate people for their families."

The carriage halted, stopping any more conversation. They entered the hall, amid many stares. The sorting had begun. Harry scanned the line, finally seeing Kat come up to the stool.

"Black, Katerina"

The hat was placed on her head. After a minute, the Sorting Hat spoke.

"Slytheren!"

Harry turned to Hermione in triumph "See, I told you she was evil!" But his voice was drowned out by the cheers of Hermione, George, and Ginny. He shook his head. They'd see.


End file.
